The 2025 Round Up

This is a round-up of miniature work completed in 2025. Looking back, it has been a fruitful year with time well spent with family and friends. Here's looking forward to what 2026 will usher in. 

Cheers,

Calvin

US Marine FAST (Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team), Operation Just Cause, Panama, 1989

After more than a year, I finally made the push to finish this shelf queen from Conflict Miniatures. Painted with AK Interactive 3Gen and Quick Gen acrylics. 

I used the 3D-printed vegetation from H-Diorama Studio for greater realism.

The wooden base is crafted by Franco Serra of Il Basetta.

Cheers,

Calvin

SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande, Narva, 1944

Getting ready for my painting workshop at 模樂堂 Happy Hobby in Hong Kong this weekend. I will be showcasing my updated painting workflow using AK Interactive's Quick Gen and 3Gen acrylics for painting 1/35 scale figures using Alpine Miniatures 35236 WSS Grenadier at Kharkov. Here's looking forward to meeting everyone who has signed up. The workshop will be conducted in Mandarin and Chinglish.

Close-up of the groundwork, which consists mainly of accessories from MiniArt Models. The bucket and corn cobs are from HD Model.

Cheers,

Calvin

SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande, Narva, 1944

Test fitting the figure onto a simple groundwork made up of parts taken from the scrap box (a la Verlinden).

Cheers,

Calvin

SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande, Narva, 1944

I am currently working on the painting sample (Alpine Miniatures 35236) for my upcoming painting workshop in Hong Kong hosted by 模樂堂 (Happy Hobby). I will be introducing some game-changing painting techniques to help mainly AFV and diorama modelers to speed up and level up on their figure painting skills using AK-Interactive Gen 3, Quick Gen paints and the painting mediums. I am told that there are only a few slots left, so act fast to confirm your place in the class. FYI, the class will be conducted in Mandarin (普通话) and Chinglish.

Cheers,

Calvin

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry - Operation Martlet - Normandy 1944

Another figure completed for this month of November. Towards the final stages of completion, I serendipitously incorporated a torn Nazi flag into the defiant pose, thereby reinforcing the symbolism of this piece.  It's fully painted with AK Quick Gen and Gen 3 acrylics. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry - Operation Martlet - Normandy 1944

This is a work-in-progress of the third version of this Alpine Miniatures figure that I painted for the painting workshop at ScaleACT 2025 in Canberra last weekend. I decided to have some fun with the groundwork and placed it onto the wreckage of a Panzer IV from Ryefield Models. Painted with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics.

Cheers,

Calvin

ScaleACT, Canberra, 2025

Gearing up for next weekend's 1-day painting workshop in Canberra, Australia, with this painting sample accomplished with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. For those who have signed up (you know who you are) for the workshop, this will be the specimen you will be following. Please note that I will be sharing my approach to optimising the use of AK-Interactive's Gen 3 and Quick Gen to attain smooth tonal transitions in record time. I do need to emphasise that this workshop can improve your knowledge of figure painting; it cannot fix deeper issues like how you behave in group settings or your general baseline mood. That’s a job for incremental lifestyle changes sustained over time. Anyhow, here's looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend.

Cheers,

Calvin

Alpine Miniatures - US 2nd Infantry Division, ETO, 1944-45

 Finally completed, ahead of the SMC show next weekend. 

I took the opportunity to try out our AK Interactive's new Quick Gen paints to render this assignment.

Cheers,

Calvin

US 1st Marine Division, Operation Desert Storm, Kuwait 1991

This is the box art of a US Marine from Operation Desert Storm. It is a 1/10 scale bust from Young Miniatures, and it is painted with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. I really enjoyed painting this piece, especially having watched the movie Jarhead starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx. It should hit the retail shelves sometime next week or at the Young Miniatures trade stand at SMC next weekend.  

Cheers,

Calvin

Groundwork Time

Working on the groundwork for a new 1/16 figure from MiniArt Building Accessories (35005). The bricks are made from DAS Terracotta fitted through a scratch-built styrene gig.  

Cheers,

Calvin

Alpine Miniatures - US 2nd Infantry Division, ETO, 1944-45

This is a work in progress of Alpine Miniature's upcoming 1/16 scale figure sculpted by John Rosengrant.

Cheers,

Calvin

Young Miniatures - LSSAH, Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, 1944

Cheers,

Calvin

Young Miniatures - LSSAH, Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, 1944

Done for now.

Cheers,

Calvin

Young Miniatures - LSSAH, Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, 1944

It has been a trying few days to get the helmet cover to a decent level of satisfaction using the AK Quick Gen acrylics for the blurred edge overprint. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Young Miniatures - LSSAH, Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, 1944

Taking reference from Michael Lee's work, I am taking another shot at nailing the Blurred Edge camouflage. The issue with the previous attempt was that the shapes of the overprints were too rounded and cloud-like. Close scrutiny of the original specimen reveals that the overprint pattern has a mixture of curves and angles, and the "watermark" outlines irregularly trace the contours of the darker shapes. In addition, the coverage was too opaque (although accurate in the later versions); it does not appear aesthetically pleasing. This is where the AK Quick Gen paints are really effective to create the translucent layers for the Blurred Edge overprint, revealing the ochre shapes.

Cheers,

Calvin

501ᵉ Régiment de chars de combat, 501ᵉ RCC, 1944

The second figure from the box set is complete. I came up with the solution of adding a German helmet on the barbed fencing post to accommodate the leaning arm, which original purpose is to rest on the gun barrel of a Sherman tank. 

The camouflage was airbrushed with dried-out AK Gen 3 acrylics, reconstituted with Tamiya airbrush cleaner.  

Onwards to the next piece...

Cheers,

Calvin